media-satire

In the foreword, Hugo Gernsback explains his tradition of producing annual Christmas greeting booklets since the early 1930s, highlighting the 1950 issue titled "World War III—in Retrospect," which depicted a future world war to emphasize the futility of war. He accuses Collier's magazine of plagiarizing his idea without credit in their 1951 special issue, noting that several Collier's staff were on his mailing list. Gernsback republishes his original story to assert his authorship and to familiarize readers with the original concept.

This chapter examines the role of religion in postwar radical science fiction, focusing on how authors used speculative narratives to explore Christianity's place in contemporary and future societies. It highlights Stuart Jackman's novel The Davidson Affair, which reimagines the Easter story through the lens of 1960s television journalism, and surveys other significant works that address religion's intersection with technology, politics, and societal change. The chapter also discusses how science fiction authors created new religious forms to critique fundamentalism and envision alternative spiritual futures.